Free Web NovelCHAPTER 29 — HUMAN SCOUTS
The Abyss was changing.
Where abandoned tunnels had once echoed with the cries of monsters, roads now stretched between settlements.
Goblin merchants pushed wooden carts loaded with glowing mushrooms and crystal ore.
Stonehide Minotaurs worked alongside kobold engineers to reinforce bridges.
Ashwing Harpies patrolled the skies above, their sharp eyes watching for danger.
In the Verdant Quarter, Sylvana's enchanted groves flourished, providing food and medicine for every race within the Domain.
The Abyssal Nest had become more than a dungeon.
It had become a home.
Vespera walked through the bustling streets in her human form.
Children from every race ran past her.
One young goblin tugged gently on her sleeve. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"My Queen!"
"Look!"
He proudly held up a small wooden carving.
It was a tiny serpent with a crown.
Vespera laughed.
"Is that supposed to be me?"
The child nodded enthusiastically.
"It even has little horns!"
Kragga, standing nearby, crossed her arms.
"It needs a bigger tail."
Everyone burst into laughter.
For a brief moment...
The scars of countless wars seemed very far away.
Inside the Council Hall, however, the mood was far more serious.
Darius spread several fresh reports across the map.
"Our patrols have spotted strangers."
"Where?" Vespera asked.
"The northern border."
"They aren't adventurers."
"They're trained."
Lirael studied one of the sketches.
"They're wearing the colors of Valenor."
Seraphine's expression darkened.
"Human scouts."
The System appeared.
────────────────────────
Main Quest Updated
First Kingdom Contact
Objective:
Determine the intentions of the human scouts.
Failure Condition:
Open War
Bonus Objective:
Avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
────────────────────────
Kragga slammed a fist onto the table.
"Then let's throw them back across the border."
"No," Vespera replied calmly.
"If they came to observe..."
"Then let them observe."
Gorvak frowned.
"That's risky."
"It is."
"But if we kill them..."
"The kingdoms will only see monsters."
Sylvana nodded.
"They deserve the chance to see the truth."
That afternoon, Vespera left the Nest with only a small escort.
Lirael accompanied her.
So did Darius.
She deliberately remained in her human form.
The scouts would expect a monster.
Instead...
She intended to meet them as a queen.
Deep within the northern forest...
Three cloaked figures crouched behind ancient rocks overlooking the Abyssal road.
Captain Rowan lowered his spyglass.
"I don't understand."
His younger companion frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They're farming."
"What?"
"They're farming."
He handed over the spyglass.
The young scout looked.
Goblin families harvested glowing mushrooms.
Minotaurs repaired irrigation channels.
Harpies delivered supplies through the air.
Children laughed while chasing brightly colored butterflies through Sylvana's gardens.
"...This has to be an illusion."
"It isn't."
The oldest scout, a woman named Mira, spoke quietly.
"I fought monsters for fifteen years."
"I've never seen anything like this."
She watched as an orc helped an elderly kobold carry heavy timber across the road.
"They're acting..."
"...like neighbors."
Suddenly...
A child's cry echoed through the forest.
All three scouts turned.
A young goblin had wandered away from the road.
Hidden among the bushes, a corrupted beast emerged.
Its black eyes fixed upon the unsuspecting child.
Captain Rowan reached for his sword.
"We'll never make it."
Before anyone moved—
A blur of black scales shot between the trees.
Vespera had transformed into her Abyssal form.
Her tail swept the goblin child safely behind her as the beast lunged.
Its claws struck only empty air.
With a single fluid motion, Vespera drove her venom-coated claws into the creature.
The corruption dissolved instantly.
The battle lasted only seconds.
Then...
Dark mist surrounded her once more.
She returned to her human form before kneeling beside the frightened child.
"Are you hurt?"
The little goblin shook his head.
"I... I got lost."
She smiled warmly.
"Let's get you home."
The child hugged her tightly.
The scouts stared in stunned silence.
Captain Rowan lowered his sword.
"...She protected him."
"Of course she did," Mira whispered.
"No..."
Rowan shook his head.
"She protected a monster."
Vespera looked toward the trees.
She had sensed them from the moment they entered the forest.
"There are three of you."
"You can come out now."
Silence.
Then slowly...
The scouts stepped into the clearing.
Hands away from their weapons.
Lirael quietly tensed beside Vespera.
Darius remained motionless.
Watching.
Waiting.
Captain Rowan bowed his head respectfully.
"I am Captain Rowan of the Kingdom of Valenor."
"I expected to find a monster queen."
His eyes met hers.
"I did not expect to find..."
"...this."
Vespera smiled faintly.
"Then perhaps rumors don't tell the whole story."
The two groups stood facing one another.
Neither side reached for a weapon.
Neither side spoke for several moments.
Finally, Rowan asked the question that had brought him here.
"Queen Vespera..."
"What exactly are you trying to build?"
Vespera looked back toward the distant lights of the Abyssal Nest.
"A place where no child—human or monster—has to inherit someone else's hatred."
The words lingered in the quiet forest.
Captain Rowan couldn't answer.
Because for the first time in his life...
Everything he believed about monsters had begun to crack.
Far away, hidden upon a distant ridge, another cloaked figure watched the meeting through a crystal lens.
Unlike Rowan...
He wasn't there to learn.
He was there to report.
And the Holy Church would not welcome what he had witnessed.
End of Chapter 29
